Hot Occupation and Nephrolithiasis

Abstract

We investigated the prevalence of stone disease and urinary stone risk factors in machinists chronically exposed to a hot environment and massive sweating, without interference of nephrotoxic metals or other lithogenic compounds. The study was performed at a glass plant and exposure to heat stress was estimated by the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature climatic index. The prevalence of nephrolithiasis on the entire population of the machinists was 8.5% (20 of 236), while the prevalence on the controls working in normal temperature was 2.4% (4 of 165) (p = 0.03). A high incidence (38.8%) of uric acid stones was present in the workers exposed to heat stress. Among the urinary stone risk indexes determined for 3 days during the 8-hour work shift on a randomly selected sample of 21 workers exposed and 21 workers not exposed to heat stress without any evidence of stone disease significant differences were found in uric acid concentration (722 +/- 195 versus 482 +/- 184 mg./l., p < 0.001), specific gravity (1,026 +/- 4 versus 1,021 +/- 6, p < 0.005) and pH (5.31 +/- 0.28 versus 5.64 +/- 0.54, p < 0.02), respectively. Thus, high uric acid relative supersaturation was present during occupation in hot temperatures (8.67 +/- 3.49) compared to occupation in normal temperatures (4.15 +/- 2.7) (p < 0.001). This study confirms that chronic dehydration represents a real lithogenic risk factor, mainly for uric acid stones, and adequate fluid intake is recommended during hot occupations.

Hydration Knowledge, Behaviours and Status of Staff at the Residential Camp of a Fly-in/Fly-out Minerals Extraction and Processing Operation in Tropical North-Eastern Australia

“…Dehydration has been identified as a risk factor for numerous morbidities 15) . These include asthma 16) , urolithiasis 17,18) and dental erosion 19) . Accordingly, optimal hydration levels are not only vital for workers to perform physical activity and maintain optimal productivity, but importantly, to ensure workplace safety and maintain longterm health.…”

Mild Tubular Damage Induces Calcium Oxalate Crystalluria in a Model of Subtle Hyperoxaluria

“…Sections also were stained with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferasemediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) according to the manufacturer's recommendations (Boehringer Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany). The apoptotic index was automatically calculated as the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells of the total number of renal cells per mm 2 (morphometric analysis using the Image Pro-Plus 5.1; Media Cybernetics, Silver Spring, MD). For transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultrathin sections were cut from Epon-embedded tissue blocks, counterstained with uranyl acetate followed by lead citrate, and then examined with a Hitachi H-700 electron microscope.…”

“…(1), environmental (ambient and occupational living conditions, lifestyle, exposure to sun, water quality, etc.) (2), and genetic (3). The case for a nutritional and environmental cause for stones is based on the following observations: (1) Renal stone disease was uncommon before the turn of the 20th century, but its incidence has steadily increased; (2) stone disease is more common in affluent communities (4), and a positive correlation exists between per capita income and per capita expenditure on food; and (3) a number of relationships between dietary/environmental factors and urinary risk factors for stones have been reported (4 -6).…”

Selected work-related nephropathies

“…W innym badaniu u pracowników obsługujących maszyny w wysokiej temperaturze kamica występo-wała u 8,5% badanych, a w temperaturze pokojoweju 2,4% [12]. Często, bo aż w 38,8% przypadków, była to kamica moczanowa, co wiązano z istotnym zagęszcze-niem wydalanego moczu [12].…”

“…Często, bo aż w 38,8% przypadków, była to kamica moczanowa, co wiązano z istotnym zagęszcze-niem wydalanego moczu [12]. Większą częstość kamicy stwierdzono też wśród żołnierzy przebywających w warunkach pustynnych [13], ale nie wykazano jej wśród żołnierzy Royal Marines walczących w dżungli [14].…”